Sanyang and Eto'o keep CSKA Sofia's continental hopes strong

CSKA Sofia/Facebook

It has been a disappointing 2024-25 campaign for traditional Bulgarian heavyweights CSKA Sofia but Sainey Sanyana and James Eto'o helped the Army club keep their European hopes alive with Tuesday's 5-0 victory over Spartak Varna.

Eto'o provided two assists and Sanyang scored the third goal in CSKA's victory that clinched top spot in the Conference League group of Bulgaria's Parva Liga. In a two-minutes span, Eto'o set up CSKA's second goal on a counter-attack before Sanyang scored from a nearly impossible angle.

CSKA now await the third place finishers in the league's Championship group for a playoff match to determine Bulgaria's representative in the UEFA Conference League. Another opportunity for CSKA to qualify for UEFA competition will also come on May 22 when they face league champions Ludogorets Razgrad in the Bulgarian Cup final, where a victory would qualify them for the Europa League.

Eto'o has a goal and five assists in 22 league matches this season. The 22-year-old Sanyang, who represented The Gambia at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup and U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, now has two goals this season.